Their gaiety is not greater than their delicacy—­but I will not expatiate.  In short, they are another people from what they were.  They may be growing wise, but the intermediate passage is dulness.  Several of the women are agreeable, and some of the men; but the latter are in general vain and ignorant.  The savans—­I beg their pardons, the philosophes—­are insupportable, superficial, overbearing, and fanatic:  they preach incessantly, and their avowed doctrine is atheism; you would not believe how openly—­Don’t wonder, therefore, if I should return a Jesuit.  Voltaire himself does not satisfy them.  One of their lady devotees said of him, “Il est bigot, c’est un d`eiste.”

I am as little pleased with their taste in trifles.  Cr`ebillon is entirely out of fashion, and Marivaux a proverb:  marivauder and marivaudage are established terms for being prolix and tiresome.  I thought that we were fallen, but they are ten times lower.

Notwithstanding all I have said, I have found two or three societies that please me; am amused with the novelty of the whole, and should be sorry not to have come.  The Dumenil is, if possible, superior to what you remember.  I am sorry not to see the Clairon; but several persons whose judgments seem the soundest prefer the former.  Preville is admirable in low comedy.  The mixture of Italian comedy and comic operas, prettily written, and set to Italian music, at the same theatre, is charming, and gets the better both of their operas and French comedy; the latter of which is seldom full, with all its merit.  Petit-maitres are obsolete, like our Lords Foppington—­but le monde est philosophe—­When I grow very sick of this last nonsense, I go and compose myself at the Chartreuse, where I am almost tempted to prefer Le Soeur to every painter I know.  Yet what new old treasures are come to light, routed out of the Louvre, and thrown into new lumber-rooms at Versailles!—­But I have not room to tell you what I have seen!  I will keep this and other chapters for Strawberry.  Adieu! and thank you.

Old Mariette has shown me a print by Diepenbecke of the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle(906) at dinner with their family.  You would oblige me, if you would look into all their graces’ folios, and see if it is not a frontispiece to some one of them.  Then he has such a Petitot of Madame d’Olonne!  The Pompadour offered him fifty louis for it(907)—­Alack, so would I!

(904) The following is Gray’s reply, of the 13th of December:- -"You have long built your hopes on temperance, you say, and hardiness.  On the first point we are agreed; the second has totally disappointed you, and therefore you will persist in it by all means.  But then, be sure to persist too in being young, in stopping the course of time, and making the shadow return back upon your sun-dial.  If you find this not so easy, acquiesce with a good grace in my anilities; put on your understockings of yarn, or woollen, even in the night-time.  Don’t